ABSTRACT
Most navigational errors in automated aircraft are the result of incorrect input to the aircraft's auto flight system. This chapter evaluates what control action the pilot takes, what information is needed to verify the correctness of the control input, and what can be done to get the needed information when it is needed. It reviews actual incidents of navigational errors resulting from improper input. Flight at the highest levels of automation has altered the fundamental methods aircrews use to control their aircraft and obtain feedback. Two axioms upon which aircrew procedures have traditionally been built are: crew heads-down time should be minimised, and both crew members should not be heads-down at the same time. The effects of any increase in time between input and feedback are well documented in control theory literature. To control an aircraft the pilot must verify that the control action had, or will have, the desired outcome.
